Daniel williams



N. PEIERS, PHOTO LITHOGHA wAsHlNGTaN D c IINTED STATES PATENT OFFICE. l

DANIEL IVILLIAMS, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

INSTRUMENT FOR MEASURING THE HUMAN BODY PREPARATORY TO CUTTING GABMENTS.

Specification of Letters Patent No. 1,136, dated April 26, 1839.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, DANIEL IVILLIAMS, of thecity, county, and State of New York, teacher of the art of cutting outgarments, have invented, made, and applied to use certain new and usefulImprovements in the Means of Measuring the I-Iuman Form, so as to CutOut Garments that Shall Fit with Great Gertainty; and such improvementsare intended to be attained by the application of an instrument which Icall the tailors measurer, which is so formed that it is to be attachedto the person whose measures are required under and in front of the armwhere the pressure bears on the garment when in use, and when thusattached the instrument affords a fixed point from which all the needfulmeasures can be commenced and completed, and that the methods ofconstructing and using the said instrument are fully set forth and shownin the following description and in the drawings annexed to and making apart of this specification, wherein- Figure 1 represents the instrumentof an average full size for general use. The detached figures are alsoin full size and are consecutively explained hereafter and the sameletters and figures as marks of reference apply to the same parts in allthe several figures.

A is a square formed'of two pieces of thin elastic steel in each limb,riveted together in the angle a. 'Ihe upper ends of the short limb areattached to a brass plate Z9 and on this is mounted a small brasscylinder c containing a spirit level. At the lower and outer side of theshorter limb a brass plate (Z is riveted on so as to stand outside theedge of the limb and the ends of this plate are turned up so as to formflanges l. l. with small sockets, which receive the ends of the smallshaft c which is made with a collar 2 at the upper end and is kept fromslipping through the lower socket by a small pin 3. On this shaft e arethree small grapple hooks 7E. f. f. shown detached at B., and so formed,that they pass through holes in the edge of the plate Z and curvingaround at the back of the plate the points of the grapple hooks returninto other holes in the plate on the opposite side of the shaft e. Anotch in the collar 2 receives the edge of a small steel spring g whichwhen in this situation keeps the hooks in place and when drawn backallows of the shaft being turned by a small handle L, so as to withdrawthe hooks from the holes in the plate CZ. This part of the apparatus isshown in plan and side section in the detached Figs. 2 and 3.

At the opposite end of the longer limb of the square A is a smallerplate t' its flanges 4.4. shaft 7c, collar 5 pin 6, handle Z, and springn, with three hooks 0. 0. 0. collectively7 forming a similar grapple tothe former shown in end section and plan in Figs. 4 and 5. At the innerangle formed by the two limbs a brass plate p is riveted by, andrevolves around a center stud, and has fastened to it a tape g of anyrequired length graduated in inches and parts of an inch.

The limbs of the square may be made solid if so chosen, and instead ofthe grapple hooks f. f. f. being attached to a centrical shaft and usedwith a circular motion they may be set on one side of a small brassplate fitted for attaching to a piece of flat spiral spring r with apiece of caoutchouc strap inside or of elastic web, s, and the spring orelastic web be attached at the other ends to the ends of the longer limbof the square as shown in the detached Figs. 6 and 7 but I prefer themode of construction before described as being lighter and more portablemore effective in use and less likely to get out of repair.

The coat or outer garment is to be made quite smooth around theshoulder. Then the method of using the instrument is as follows: Placethe instrument with the grapple hooks turned out and the shorter limbvertical in front of the right shoulder, allowing the longer arm to passunder the arm pit and horizontally around behind and having adjusted itby the spirit-level so that the longer limb shall be duly horizontalwhile the shorter limb is vertical against and close up to the fleshypart in front but not riding on the bone of the shoulder, then attachthe instrument to the coat or outer garment by turning in the grapplehooks. In this situation the instrument is ready for use and thefollowing directions are to be carefully followed. Pass the tape measurebackward under the arm and in line with the upper edge of the long limbof the instrument to the back seam then note the number of inches andparts from the front of the arm and make a mark on the back seam at theupper edge ofthe tape. rIhe tape is now to be extended upward diagonallyto the socket bone or top of the back seam so as to pass near the top ofthe side seam at the sleeve head. Having set down the number oit inchesto the socket bone the measure is carried diagonally from the Xed pointdown to the hip at the bottom of the back seam. These measures all noteddown the measure is passed upward in front of the arm to the socket bonebehind the neck then over the shoulder and diagonallydown to the markfirst made in the back seam and over the shoulder close to the sleevehead down to the upper edge of the instrument, all which measures noteddown terminat-e the measuring unless a measure is taken across the chestwhich in most eases may be done to advantage particularly when measuringa lady for a riding habit and Care is needed to take all the measuresequally tight. In particular cases where it may be needful to measureboth sides of a person this may be done by applying the same instrumentto the left side with the longer limb in front of the shoulder adding aspirit level on the end of the longer limb at right angles to the firstlevel and proceeding in all other respects as before described exceptthat in some cases it may be needful to have both limbs of the square ofthe same length. I do not claim to have invented any of the parts hereindescribed7 separately taken because nearly all have been before used forother similar and different purposes, but

i I claim as my own invention- The application of the grapple hooks forthe purpose of securing the instrument while in use in combination withthe square, the spirit level and measuring tape as the saine are hereinsubstantially described when used for measuring the human form for thepurpose of fitting garments of any description thereto.

' In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand this fourth day ofMarch one thousand eight hundred and thirty nine.

DANIEL WILLIAMS. [L. s] Witnesses:

CHARLES PAINE, WV. TERRELL.

